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Striatal brain volume linked to severity of substance use in high-risk incarcerated youth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 May 2024

Nathaniel E. Anderson
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, USA
J. Michael Maurer
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, USA
David Stephenson
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Keith Harenski
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Michael Caldwell
Affiliation:
Mendota Mental Health Institute, Madison, WI, USA Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Greg Van Rybroek
Affiliation:
Mendota Mental Health Institute, Madison, WI, USA Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Kent A. Kiehl*
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, USA Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
*
Corresponding author: K. A. Kiehl; Email: kkiehl@mrn.org

Abstract

Substance use disorders among juveniles are a major public health concern and are often intertwined with other psychosocial risk factors including antisocial behavior. Identifying etiological risks and mechanisms promoting substance use disorders remains a high priority for informing more focused interventions in high-risk populations. The present study examined brain gray matter structure in relation to substance use severity among n = 152 high-risk, incarcerated boys (aged 14–20). Substance use severity was positively associated with gray matter volume across several frontal/striatal brain regions including amygdala, pallidum, putamen, insula, and orbitofrontal cortex. Effects were apparent when using voxel-based-morphometric analysis, as well as in whole-brain, data-driven, network-based approaches (source-based morphometry). These findings support the hypothesis that elevated gray matter volume in striatal reward circuits may be an endogenous marker for vulnerability to severe substance use behaviors among youth.

Information

Type
Regular Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

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